Eternal Adoration [ON PAUSE]

1. Happiest Of Birthdays

SERAPHINA
Few Months Later
The Present

"Happy birthday . . . to me."

A smile, as forceful and slightly unfamiliar as it feels, takes over my lips. For one moment, I let myself exist in this present. Where I'm just a girl, on her birthday, smiling down at a celebratory cupcake, all normal and bright.

Then, I take in a deep breath and extinguish the single candle in my treat just as I let the smile fall.

For a second, I was the girl that I'll be from now on, and it felt uncomfortable. But I just know it. I just know that in one week the smile will feel less painful. In two, it'll come to me naturally. In three, it'll last longer, maybe even a whole minute.

And in four weeks, it'll be who I am. I just know it.

"Here you go, baby." A plate is set on the table in front of me, startling me out of my thoughts, and blessing my eyes with the sight of a hefty slice of apple pie. My favorite. "You know what they say, 'Eat all the pie you can, a girl only turns nineteen once.'"

Chuckling, my insides warming with all the gratitude I've never felt for any other adult in my life, I look up at the angel that is my boss. "I'm pretty sure they don't say anything remotely like that, Ms. Millie."

"Yes, they do." She winks and pushes the plate closer to me, her brown eyes twinkling with mirth. "In fact, it's one of those historical people of yours that says it. Yes, I'm quite sure of it."

By 'one of those historical people of mine', Ms. Millie means the people in history whose achievements, innovations, and courage will be forever spoken about in classrooms, written about in books, and serve to inspire generations.

The people we study about, and the ones who are so revolutionary, that their legacies have been silenced. Those are my favorite ones.

"I'm not sure any of my historical people ever said anything of the sort," I tell her with a smirk as I abandon the cupcake and pick up a fork, "but I'm very thankful for the pie."

Before I can disconnect from the entire world and lose myself in the crispy dough, glazed fresh apples, and all that is good and sweet, I look up at the saint of a woman who employed me months ago without any second thought, who didn't ask any questions but just decided to help me.

"Thank you, Ms. Millie." The smile, now natural and right, takes over my lips. Maybe it won't take as long as I assumed it would. "Thank you. Seriously. Not just for the pie, but for everything."

"Oh, dear." She smiles softly at me, her plump brown cheeks reminding me of the ones belonging to a person who is now only a blur in my dreams. "You don't have to thank me. We're so, so grateful to have you, Sera. You're the sweetest girl, a teenager with a good head on her shoulders."

She pats my head, and if she notices me enjoying the gesture of affection a little too much, she gladly doesn't mention it. Instead, she wishes me a happy birthday and tells me to go home after I enjoy my delicacies.

"I can still clean up the tables since Stanley is not here tonight-"

She holds up a hand and shakes her head, and I imagine that she's giving me the universal mom look. The one that arrests you in place and makes you immediately want to run the other way but also not even dare look away because of fear of what might happen if you did.

"No, Seraphina. You're off the clock. It's late, or very early-depending on how you look at it-and you've gotta go enjoy the rest of your weekend before starting school on Monday. Plus, it's your birthday. So no arguments, young lady."